bookcurios Chapter 137: Battle of wits
Chapter 137: Battle of wits
Gao Xingchen frowned, staring at the ancient stone tablet. The content on the tablet was obscure and difficult to understand, but with the knowledge brought by the time travel and Nan Li's help, he was able to decipher the mystery bit by bit.
"Gate of Reincarnation, Fountain of Life, Fire of Soul..." Gao Xingchen chewed on these words again and again, feeling uneasy. The names of these three ancient artifacts alone were full of frightening power. If they fell into the hands of the remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God, the consequences would be disastrous.
Nan Li looked at Gao Xingchen's solemn expression and asked softly, "What's wrong? Did you find something?"
Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and told Nan Li his speculation. After listening to him, Nan Li's face became solemn.
"If this is true, then we must take action as soon as possible." Nan Li said in a deep voice, "We can't let the remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God succeed!"
"That's right!" Gao Xingchen nodded, "We must find these three artifacts before they do, or find a way to stop them!"
After discussing, the two decided to act separately. Nan Li was proficient in intelligence gathering, and she decided to use all her strength to find clues about the three artifacts. Gao Xingchen would use this time to strengthen the defense of the Nine Star Realm to deal with possible attacks from the remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God.
"Xingchen, you have to be careful." Before leaving, Nan Li worriedly warned, "The remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God are cunning and cruel, you must not take it lightly."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful." Gao Xingchen held Nan Li's hand and gave her a firm look, "You should take care of yourself too, I'll wait for you to come back."
Nan Li's figure disappeared in the night, and Gao Xingchen turned and looked into the distance. He knew that a new storm was coming, and he was ready to meet the challenge.
Gao Xingchen returned to the meeting room, where Elder Li and several other elders were already waiting anxiously. Seeing Gao Xingchen coming back, Elder Li hurriedly asked, "How is it? Did you find anything?"
Gao Xingchen told everyone about his and Nan Li’s discovery. After hearing this, the elders’ faces turned very ugly.
“I didn’t expect that Fire Cloud Evil God would have left such a backup plan.” An elder sighed, “It looks like we are going to face another tough battle.”
Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and said in a deep voice: "My fellow elders, I know the situation is critical now, but I believe that as long as we unite as one, we will be able to overcome all difficulties!"
"That's right!" Elder Li nodded. "We have been through so much and will never be defeated so easily! Xingchen, if you have any plans, just tell us. We will fully support you!"
Gao Xingchen looked around at everyone, his eyes gleaming with determination: "First, we must strengthen the defense of the Nine Star Realm to prevent surprise attacks from the remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God. Secondly, we must find a way to contact allies in other realms to jointly fight against the threat of the Fire Cloud Evil God..."
Gao Xingchen's words were powerful, and they rekindled the hope of the elders who were originally a little panicked. Elder Li took a deep breath and said slowly: "Xingchen is right, we can't lose our composure! I will contact my old friends in other realms right now, and everyone can kill the Fire Cloud Evil God, they will not sit idly by!"
After that, Elder Li walked into a secret room deep in the meeting hall. This secret room was covered with ancient runes and was the hub for the Nine Star Realm to connect with other realms. Elder Li formed seals with his hands and muttered something. Streams of light flew out from his fingertips and disappeared into the void before his eyes.
At the same time, Gao Xingchen was not idle. He redeployed the guards of the Nine Star Realm, strengthened the defense of each important pass, and personally trained an elite force to deal with emergencies.
A few days later, Elder Li walked out of the secret room with a trace of fatigue on his face, but more of joy. He told Gao Xingchen that he had successfully contacted several realms that were friendly with the Nine Stars Realm. They all expressed their willingness to jointly fight against the threat of the Fire Cloud Evil God and would send reinforcements as soon as possible.
Soon after, envoys from various realms arrived in the Nine Stars Realm one after another. Gao Xingchen hosted a banquet in the meeting hall and discussed with them how to deal with the remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God.
“Everyone, the Fire Cloud Evil God is still lingering around, and now his remnants are trying to get their hands on the ancient artifacts. They are despicable! We must unite as one and completely eliminate them to prevent future troubles!” Gao Xingchen’s eyes were bright and his tone was firm.
"Master Gao is absolutely right! We are willing to obey your orders!" An envoy from the Qingyun Realm stood up and said.
"I suggest that we should take the initiative and find the ancient artifact first, seal it, and not give the remnants of Fire Cloud Evil God any chance to take advantage!" Another messenger from the Zixiao Realm suggested.
Gao Xingchen frowned slightly, and after a moment's silence, he said, "It would be good to take the initiative, but we know nothing about the whereabouts of the ancient artifact, and the remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God are hiding very deeply. If we act rashly, we may alert them."
Everyone nodded in agreement. At this moment, Gao Xingchen suddenly had an idea and came up with a bold plan. He took a deep breath and said slowly, "I have an idea that may completely solve the threat of Fire Cloud Evil God..."
Everyone immediately turned their eyes to Gao Xingchen, their eyes filled with curiosity and expectation.
"We can use the power of the artifact to completely eliminate the remaining soul of the Fire Cloud Evil God!" Gao Xingchen said in a firm tone, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.
Everyone was shocked when they heard this. This plan was too bold, but also full of risks.
……
However, Gao Xingchen didn't know that his bold plan would bring huge differences between him and Nan Li...
As soon as Gao Xingchen finished speaking, Nan Li stood up abruptly, her delicate eyebrows full of worry: "Xingchen, you must not do that! The power of the artifact is very strong, and it will backfire if we are not careful. What's more, we don't know how to control the artifact at all. Using it forcibly will only lead to our own destruction!"
Gao Xingchen knew that Nan Li's worries were not unreasonable, but he had his own persistence in his heart. As long as the Fire Cloud Evil God was not eliminated, the Nine Star Realm would never have peace. He had to solve this hidden danger as soon as possible, no matter how great the price.
"Li'er, I know what you are worried about, but we can't just sit there and wait for death! The remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God are still lingering around, we must take the initiative to attack, otherwise we will let them succeed!" Gao Xingchen walked up to Nan Li, held her hand, trying to make her understand his determination.
"But..." Nan Li wanted to persuade her further, but was interrupted by Gao Xingchen's eyes.
"Trust me, Li'er, I know my limits." Gao Xingchen's tone was firm and unquestionable.
Nan Li looked at Gao Xingchen's determined eyes, and she felt mixed emotions. She knew that Gao Xingchen was responsible for protecting the Nine Star Realm, and she also knew that he wanted to completely eliminate the threat of Fire Cloud Evil God, but she was more worried about Gao Xingchen's safety.
Just when the two were at a stalemate, Xiao Hei, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up: "Master, I seem to have discovered traces of the remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God."
Gao Xingchen and Nan Li were both stunned when they heard this, and asked quickly, "What's going on?"
A hint of red light flashed in Xiao Hei's eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "I just sensed a familiar breath, that is the unique breath of the remnant soul of Fire Cloud Evil God, they should be nearby!"
"Can you determine their exact location?" Gao Xingchen asked.
Xiao Hei shook his head: "I can only sense the approximate direction, the specific location needs further confirmation."
"That's enough!" Gao Xingchen's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, "Li'er, it looks like we don't have time to argue anymore. The remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God have already found the whereabouts of the artifact. We must hurry over there as soon as possible!"
Nan Li also knew that the situation was urgent, so she could only temporarily suppress her worries and nodded, "Okay, I'll go with you."
Gao Xingchen nodded, then gathered everyone together, informed them of the latest situation, and made a new plan.
"Everyone, the remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God have found the whereabouts of the artifact. We must rush to stop them as soon as possible!" Gao Xingchen said solemnly, "This operation is full of dangers, but I believe that as long as we work together, we will be able to defeat evil!"
When everyone heard this, their expressions changed and they all expressed their willingness to follow Gao Xingchen and protect the Nine Star Realm until death.
Gao Xingchen and Nan Li looked at each other, and they could see the determination and resoluteness in each other's eyes. They knew that a great war was about to begin...
However, what Gao Xingchen and Nan Li didn't expect was that their decision this time would bring them into a more dangerous situation...
Gao Xingchen and Nan Li returned to the meeting room. The atmosphere was so heavy that it seemed as if a layer of frost had condensed. Elder Li and several other elders were waiting anxiously. When they saw them return, they immediately surrounded them.
"How is it? Is there any news about the remnants of Fire Cloud Evil God?" Elder Li asked anxiously, his turbid eyes filled with worry.
Gao Xingchen took a deep breath and told everyone that Xiao Hei had sensed the aura of the remnants of Fire Cloud Evil God, and emphasized the urgency of the situation.
"What?! They actually found the whereabouts of the artifact!" Elder Li's face changed drastically, and he slammed the ground heavily with his cane. "What should we do? If they get the artifact, the consequences will be disastrous!"
Several other elders also expressed their concerns, and the meeting hall suddenly fell into chaos. Gao Xingchen knew that now was not the time to panic, and he had to come up with a response plan as soon as possible.
"Everyone be quiet!" Gao Xingchen shouted, his deep voice full of majesty. Everyone suddenly quieted down, and all eyes were focused on him.
"There is no time to lose. We must find the artifact before the remnants of Fire Cloud Evil God!" Gao Xingchen's tone was firm and left no room for doubt.
"But we don't even know where the artifact is!" an elder said worriedly.
Gao Xingchen looked at Nan Li and said in a deep voice: "Li'er, can you infer the whereabouts of the remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God based on the aura sensed by Xiao Hei?"
Nan Li frowned slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "The aura that Xiao Hei sensed was very weak, and the remnants of the Fire Cloud Evil God are very cunning. They are likely to use secret methods to cover their whereabouts. It will not be easy to find them."
"Is there no other way?" Elder Li asked anxiously.
Nan Li pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his head and said with a firm gaze: "There is a way, but..."
"Just what? Tell me quickly!" everyone asked anxiously.
Nan Li took a deep breath and said slowly: "The cultivation method of Fire Cloud Evil God is very special. After they find the artifact, they will definitely use the power of the artifact to restore their strength. This process will produce huge energy fluctuations. If we can capture this energy fluctuation in time, we can follow the clues and find their hiding place!"
Gao Xingchen's eyes lit up. Although this method was risky, it was the only hope at the moment. He turned to look at Nan Li and said in a deep voice, "Li'er, are you sure?"
Nan Li looked at him firmly and said in a firm tone: "I will try my best!"
Gao Xingchen nodded. He knew that now was not the time to hesitate. They had to make a decision as soon as possible, otherwise it would be too late...